Reverse This Curse
by DecoyDream
Summary: Tom Riddle's lone friendship is tested when he realises that he can't hide the truth from her forever. A TR/OC story.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHORS NOTE**: I feel as though i have a compulsive order where i cannot stop starting stories involving Tom Riddle. It's pretty much a curse. I have no idea how long it will span for, if and when i'll finish or even the general plot line. But here's to impromptu writing! Please enjoy and review :)

_**Reverse this Curse**_

_**A Tom Riddle Jr and Original Character story.**_

_"I've got one last chance to reverse this curse,_

_You stole my heart but i had it first._

_And now i see that you've got something to prove,_

_and nothing to lose so let me tell you the truth"_

_Reverse this Curse by Escape the Fate_

CHAPTER 1

It started on the very first day of Hogwarts, just after they were sorted into Slytherin. Tom nervously approached the table, meeting stony glares as he advanced. Looking back a few weeks later, he understood their hostility. He was a half blood among his pureblooded brethren, a heinous crime and insult to Salazar Slytherin himself. But among the accusing glowers, there was one free of judgement. Connected to those politely curious brown eyes was a lightly tanned rounded face framed with shoulder length black hair. The girl waved him over as one would with an old friend, her lips curving into a childish grin. Seeing no other alternative, Tom veered towards her, sitting in the area she had freed up. Pulling out a quill from her pocket, she grabbed a napkin and began to write.

"Hello, my name is Sarah Demeter" she wrote, the writing oddly sophisticated for an eleven year old child.

She held the quill out to him in invitation, nodding towards the napkin. Grasping the quill in his hand, Tom wrote neatly below her words.

"Nice to meet you Sarah. My name is Tom Riddle"

Sarah peered at the napkin, smiling at him before plucking the quill from his fingertips "Welcome to Slytherin Tom. You'll love it at Hogwarts!"

For the first time in a long time, Tom felt a heartfelt smile cross his face. He couldn't help but doubt that he would ever feel welcome in the House of Snakes, but perhaps with that sunny smile by his side, he might just make it through.

Exactly seven years had passed since that day of their sorting, and so much had happened yet not much had changed. Tom was watching with disinterest as the new batch of first years was sorted into houses, clapping politely when the hat called 'Slytherin!'Sarah was busy writing on a napkin, smiling to herself a little as she captioned a stick figured drawing. Nudging Tom, she cocked her head towards her hasty illustration.

Tom leaned over slightly, watching the charmed picture of a stick figure of a first year boy. The sorting hat was put on his head then enveloped him whole, the sorting hat grinning wickedly. Below, it read "Were we such tiny little runts when we were that age?"

Tom let a flicker of a grin cross his face, leaning in close to whisper in her ear "Not all of us, only you"

She kicked him painfully in the leg under the table before turning away and giving him the cold shoulder. From the corner of his eye, Tom saw her smile a bit to herself though, showing him that she wasn't actually angry at him.

Throughout the years together, Tom never ceased to marvel at how well she understood him despite the obvious chink in their communication. She had lost her ability to speak when she was a child, the unfortunate aftermath of toying with cursed objects in her grandfather's basement. She had learned to write all her thoughts down on paper instead of learning muggle art of sign language. While she was still able to laugh and make small noises of reprimand and amusement, being mute made her a social outcast in her house despite her pure blooded heritage. On the rare occasion, she wasn't with Tom, she sat and ate with a small group of Gryffindors – much to Tom's disapproval.

Tom on the other hand, did develop acquaintances at Hogwarts within Slytherin despite his early doubts. His peers had soon realised that he was not one to be trifled with, and as his confidence and charm grew throughout the years, he had almost everyone under his spell. They all adored the Slytherin Prefect and now Head Boy – including the other houses too. To the average student and Professor, Tom Riddle was a courteous, intelligent and rather handsome boy. There were few who noticed anything beyond his pleasant exterior, and even fewer who knew the extent of just how unpleasant he was.

Sure, his followers were prone to Tom's foul moods and sporadic behaviour but he had a feeling even they did not know the depths he would go to in order to achieve his ambitions. Tom's motives went beyond the simplistic pure blooded mania he had claimed. He wanted complete power – everyone and everything would be subservient to his greatness. In order to gain followers, he utilised the one ideal that would unite his house to his cause – their pride and lineage.

But Sarah understood him, and while Tom had conveniently forgotten to tell her of his deeds and plans, he had an inkling that she knew of his craving for power. She probably thought that he would want to be the Minister of Magic one day, using his power and intelligence to benefit the wizarding society. When she asked him about his plans after school, he just gave her a nonchalant shrug, changing the topic expertly to something else where he wouldn't have to blatantly lie to her. She knew how to read him even when his words said something else entirely. She forgave him when his mood swings ran rampant. Tom wondered how a person with such a kind heart could be sorted into Slytherin.

Tom was not a different person with Sarah, but a more refined and happier version. He allowed himself to smile and banter, doing so because he wanted to rather than out of necessity. She brought out the limited good in him, and while his fondness of her was a weakness for his future plans, he was willing to be weak if it meant that she would stay by his side.

At that moment, his thoughts were interrupted by the clattering of plates, bowls and goblets – the feast had started. Sarah began to pile a piece of sticky date pudding onto her plate, dousing it with caramel sauce. At every meal, Sarah always began with dessert – a quirk which Tom thought was oddly endearing. He himself never had an appreciation for overly sweet things, but on occasions such as her birthday, Tom would buy her a cake from Hogsmeade which they would eat together by the Black Lake.

"Would you like any more sauce on that Demeter?" asked Abraxas Malfoy, his tone sarcastic but not unpleasant.

Sarah shook her head, grinning at Malfoy before she eagerly dug into her dessert. Abraxas shook his head good naturedly at the girl, returning to his conversation with Orion. Tom knew that his followers or acquaintances did not particularly like Sarah, but they were pleasant to her because of Tom. For now, it was enough – as long as they maintained civility, Tom had no reason to change the dynamics.

The rest of the opening feast was spent in relative silence, Sarah being too busy concentrating on the food to pick up her quill and start a conversation with Tom. Tom didn't mind, the silence between them was comfortable rather than awkward – a consequence of their 6 year long friendship. Soon enough, Tom had to bid her goodbye for the night. As Head Boy, it was required of Tom to help the Prefects in assisting the first years to their common rooms and dormitories.

"I'll see you in the morning" said Tom, gracefully rising from his seat. She gave him a quick mock salute in goodbye and turned her attention back to her food, tuning in on Orion's and Abraxas' conversation about the newest broomstick on the market. Tom left the group, ushering the first year Slytherins out of the Great Hall and into their new homes.

**ANOTHER A/N BECAUSE I'M INCREDIBLY LONG WINDED:**

Just thought i'll tell you guys that i'm aware that my dates for events are completely wrong. I wrote things before i researched (foolish i know) and for some other things, it would serve my story a bit better if it were out of sequence. Apologies all around!

Lots of butterbeer, sugar quills and cute barn owls (which is practically love),

DecoyDream x


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

The next morning, Sarah did not show up for breakfast as she had agreed to. Tom thought nothing of it, eating his porridge in silence while his housemates chattered inanely on mundane topics. Malfoy waltzed in halfway through breakfast, taking his customary seat on the left side of Tom.

"Good morning" he said, his tone low and respectful in Tom's presence. Tom nodded to him once in greeting, returning to his porridge which had congealed into a thick gloop. Losing his appetite, he pushed the bowl away and drank some orange juice instead.

"There will be a meeting tonight at 8pm in the abandoned potions room" spoke Tom in a low voice "Alert the others"

Abraxas gave little indication that he had heard, except for the infinitesimal nod of his platinum blond head. Tom, having enough of breakfast, excused himself and made his way to Charms, knowing that he was at least 20 minutes earlier than he should be. He walked into the classroom, sitting in his usual spot at the back and taking his time to unpack his belongings. After a few moments, he heard a familiar tinkle of laughter drifting through the door. Listening more keenly, he heard someone reply in low tones, the voice unfamiliar and distinctly male. After a short silence, Sarah walked in through the door, her smile brightening further when she spotted Tom. Tom was about to greet her when he stopped in his tracks, seeing the nervous looking boy hanging in the doorway. The boy was sandy haired and tanned, tanner than anyone ought to be living in England, Ireland or Scotland. He had a casualness about him, his red and gold tie loosely done and his hair in a disarray. In short, he looked like a complete opposite to Tom.

Sarah rolled her eyes at the boy, giving her wand a flick and watching as letters like silvery ribbons appeared in mid-air. Tom had found the spell at the end of last year and taught her how to use it, figuring that it would be more convenient than relying on quill and parchment.

"Come over here, you can sit with us!" spelled the words. Matthew smiled uneasily and approached Tom who looked expressionless. For some reason, he immediately disliked this boy; perhaps it was because he was a Gryffindor?

Sarah raised her wand again, the letters unfurling themselves "Tom, this is the new student Matthew Renfield. Matthew, this is the Head Boy and my friend Tom Riddle"

Tom gave him a curt greeting which Matthew replied with valiantly, even having the nerve to smile at the stoic and imposing Head Boy. Sarah beamed at the both of them, settling next to her traditional spot next to Tom and gesturing for Matthew to sit in the one next to her. She pulled out a piece of yellowing parchment and self inking quill.

"Sorry about not going to breakfast this morning. Dippet caught me on the way to the Great Hall and asked if I could show Matthew around" she wrote, looking apologetic.

Tom shrugged his shoulders "Its fine"

She looked disbelieving for a moment but nodded anyway, giving him a quick smile before she dove into her bag to retrieve her belongings for class. Slowly, the class began to fill up, most giving confused and surprised glances at the new boy sitting with the Slytherins. Matthew seemed oblivious however and was chatting away to Sarah, as she explained what they had learned in previous years while he had been privately tutored at home. While Tom struggled to keep the annoyance off his face, he supposed he could put up with the Matthew boy in one class. It wasn't like he was always going to be there. He would have to eventually make friends with his own house.

Regaining his composure, Tom dipped his quill in a pot of black ink and began to take notes on the Professors lecture, ignoring the way Sarah laughed at something Matthew had said.

By the time night claimed the castle, Tom was in a truly foul mood. Not only was the new boy in all the classes he shared with Sarah, but he had had the audacity to try and make conversation with Tom. The only reprieve from his presence was during mealtimes, when the glares from the other Slytherins would have surely sent him packing. During these few moments, Tom managed to glean some information on the new boy. According to Sarah, he was born in Ireland but travelled so much he had had a private tutor for his schooling. Among the little bits and pieces she had told him, there was one that claimed Tom's attention – Matthew Renfield was a mudblood. Smiling inwardly, Tom made his way to the abandoned potions classroom in the dank, cold dungeons, ready to announce his plans to his loyal followers.

The meeting had gone well, Tom concluded as he reclined on his chair in his private dormitory. As expected, his Death Eaters had taken his plans eagerly, their enthusiasm evident in the wicked grins that crossed their faces. Tom told them that he was a descendant of Slytherin and that he had both found and opened the illusive Chamber of Secrets. He told them of his plan to begin the purification of the wizarding race, and that it was now to start from within Hogwarts. Lastly, he had made them swear that they would not tell a single soul and as they pledged their allegiance to the cause; and Tom believed their words. As much of a flock of subservient sheep they were, his followers were not idiotic enough to defy him. They had seen what happened to traitors and those that displeased him. They knew well enough that it was not something they would want inflicted upon themselves if they valued their lives or loved ones.

That meeting had been over two weeks ago, and little action had been taken since. He knew his followers were beginning to get restless, their thirst for bloodlust mounting as the days passed by. But Tom was not brash enough to believe he could accomplish this without careful preparation. He had conversed with the basilisk before, knowing that the creature was impulsive yet loyal to him. Almost 2 years ago, Tom had realised that the only mode of undetectable transport through Hogwarts was through the piping system. The only thing left to do was to teach the creature how to differentiate the students according to blood status. It would not do well for his cause if he slayed the people that were on his side of the war. It would surely cause dissension among the ranks, and Tom could not allow that to happen if his plans were to succeed.

Checking his watch, Tom decided that it was late enough for no one to be wandering around the halls. Fastening his robe around his uniform, he quietly crept out of his room and into the common room. The Head Girl was no where to be seen, and was presumably asleep in her room judging by the faint glow of dying embers in the fireplace. Pulling open the door knob on the tapestry, Tom escaped outside into the empty corridor.

**AUTHORS NOTE:**  
Thank you DamonSalvatorelover for your review :) As always, thanks for reading (and reviewing, hopefully.) :D

Love,

DecoyDream x


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"Why are you so tired? You went to sleep so early last night" floated the words in front of Tom. He swatted the words away, watching as the ribboned words faded into smoke. She frowned at him and waved her wand again, the words appearing in mid air "Skip class. I'll bring the notes to you later"

"I'm fine" he said tonelessly, turning his attention back to the front of the class.

Sarah thought he looked anything but fine. He looked tired, withdrawn and completely devoid of sleep. His usual impeccably combed hair was slightly mussed, his tie crooked and his face almost sallow. It was obvious that he was lying to her but Sarah couldn't determine what it was about. He was somewhere else rather than his bed last night and the burning curiosity within her demanded to know where. A sudden idea sparked in her mind, her lips twisting into a fully-fledged smile. Did Tom have a girlfriend? It wouldn't surprise her in the slightest – everyone loved him, especially the female population of Hogwarts who fawned over his charisma and dashing good looks. She wondered if the girl in question was in their house and that it had better not be Gertie Yaxley. Her nose wrinkled at the thought of the girl, hoping beyond hope that Tom would have better taste than that. Actually, now that she thought about it, Tom never did disclose anything about his preferences. Did he like blondes, brunettes or red heads? Tall or short? Or, and Sarah's eyes widened at the thought, did he even like girls at all?

"What are you thinking about Sarah? It looks as though the House Elves forgot to serve pudding on Christmas" muttered Tom, his face tilted slightly towards her.

Sarah snapped out of her reverie, grabbing her quill and writing hastily, her hand flying across the page. She shoved the paper towards Tom.

"You trust me don't you?" it read, a few ink splotches marring the parchment.

Tom wrote back, his smooth forehead creasing "Of course I do. More than anyone else I know"

She looked at him hard, trying to detect any hint of deceit in his seemingly impassive face. Tom inwardly squirmed under her scrutinizing gaze, trying to maintain his composure. What had gotten into her?

After a moment, she scribbled another note "Even with your secrets?"

"Yes" he wrote, the lie slipping out with more ease through paper.

Sarah glanced at the three little letters before opening her textbook and pretending to read. Tom stayed in a thoughtful silence for the remainder of class, thinking that whatever insecurity had gotten into her had dissipated after her odd questions. Sarah on the other hand was not at ease. She had known Tom for 6 years now and there was always a dead giveaway when he was lying to her. While his alabaster face was usually expressionless, his aristocratic looking nose would twitch ever so slightly when being deceitful.

And just then, when she was asking about his secrets, his nose had twitched. The bell rang, followed by the loud scraping of chairs from the students as they rushed to get to lunch. Sarah took her time organising her books into a perfect pile, before stashing her stationary in her brown satchel. Once everyone had gone except herself and Tom, she waved her wand towards the door, not watching it as it swung shut with a satisfying thud.

"I know you're hiding something Tom" spelled the words between them, "I won't judge you for it"

For a fleeting moment, Tom panicked as he thought of all the things he had been hiding from her. The way he had killed his only living relatives, not even flinching when they pleaded with him to stop. He remembered the rush of power he felt when they were at his mercy, and the cruel smile that adorned his face when he stepped over their lifeless bodies and into the night. He thought of his plans of the Chamber of Secrets and of the Horcruxes that he had researched privately through the more recent years.

She said she wouldn't judge him, but even those with the most forgiving hearts could not accept the monstrosities he had committed; and he would be lying if he said he regretted his actions. But Tom wasn't willing to leave it up to fate to determine where their friendship would stand after that particular conversation. For now, it was safest for him to tell her nothing – perhaps that muggle phrase 'ignorance is bliss' did mean something.

"I'm not sure what you mean" enunciated Tom, leaning against his desk leisurely.

She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully before waving her wand "Let me put it this way then, do you have a girlfriend?"

Tom stared at those floating words with a look of incredulity before it faded into amusement. He chuckled at her worried expression, was that what this was all about? She looked expectantly at him, waiting patiently for him to stop laughing.

"No, why would you think that?" asked Tom, feeling incredibly relieved that she apparently did not know of his clandestine meetings and deeds.

She frowned and also leaned against the edge of the desk "Well…" Her face coloured as she ducked her head in evident embarrassment "Are you… into girls?"

For the first time in a long time Tom was rendered speechless. Where on earth did she get that ludicrous idea from? Cursing himself internally for his sudden stutter that he produced, he turned to meet her expectant face.

"You're crazy you know that?"

She raised her eyebrows "I'm going to need a definite answer"

Sighing, Tom relented "Yes" he replied in clipped tones, allowing his annoyance to seep in. She relaxed visibly, bringing a hand up to run through her dark hair.

"Thank goodness, I thought I was going to have to compete for boys with you" swirled her words before quickly disappearing when she saw the severe look on his face "Oh cheer up Tom" she continued to write, giving him a smile. Tom continued to glare at her, torn between being vexed that she had thought such things and amusement. However, when her arms came to wrap around his middle in a friendly hug, Tom decided that he should settle on amusement for now.

**AUTHORS NOTE**: Yes, Tom is awfully light hearted in his chapter but it's nice to see he's human sometimes you know? (Well... the Tom in my head is anyway). Thanks again DamonSalvatorelover for your review (Vampire diaries is coming back really soon... excited?) and to the others who lurk around but never review - it would be nice if you did :P Not that you have to listen to what i say or anything! Anyway, thanks for reading!

Much love,

Decoydream x


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

As it turned out, Tom was right once again in his assumptions. Renfield did indeed make friends with his fellow house members but consequently, Sarah also began to hang out with her Gryffindor friends more often, thus giving Tom a lot more spare time then he would usually have.

Taking this opportunity, Tom made more and more frequent trips down the chamber to refine his plans. He gave occasional updates on his progress to his followers so that they didn't lose faith. Through his continual routine of planning, school work and Head Boy business; Halloween quickly crept up on him. In fact, if it weren't for the Head Girl and prefects, he would have forgotten about the trivial holiday altogether.

Tom and the other prefects were sitting around an old abandoned classroom which now served as their meeting room. Patrol duties were doled out, as well as solving any other problems within the houses. The meeting was just about to end when a Hufflepuff girl suddenly piped up.

"Halloween is coming up" she began, looking nervous as all heads swivelled towards her direction "Perhaps we should organise an event to celebrate?"

A silence met her words, quickly followed by a frenzy of excitement and comments.

"Oh! How about a ball?" cried a Ravenclaw girl, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm

"No, we can't" interjected the Head Girl gently "The Christmas Ball is too close to it"

"How about a celebratory Quidditch game" suggested a Gryffindor boy eagerly "We could use pumpkins instead of bludgers-"

"No!" chorused all the girls at once, glaring at him. He grinned and shrank back in his chair, muttering something about how it was worth a try. Tom looked on the proceedings with indifference – if it were any type of social event, he would be forced to make an appearance anyway. He was just there to make sure the idiots didn't come up with something too foolish.

The Head Girl spoke up once more, when the prefects argumentative voices rose "How about we stick with the ball idea, except make it more of a casual dress up party? What do you say Tom?"

The occupants of the room turned their attention to the quiet Head Boy, watching as he stepped out of the shadowy crevice "It sounds like a good idea" he agreed "But perhaps it should be reserved for some of the older students?"

The prefects whole heartedly agreed and made drafts of plans immediately. After another hour, they had decided that it were to be open to 5th years and above and figured out various teams who were in charge of different aspects of preparations. Tom chose to be in charge of food preparations – all he really needed to do was consult the house elves and his job would be considered done. When it was fast approaching curfew, the meeting members dispersed back to their respective common rooms, waving a cheery goodnight to the Head Boy and Girl.

"Are you heading back yet?" she asked as she packed her stationary back into her rucksack. She looked up expectantly at him, regarding Tom with friendly eyes.

"No, not yet. I think I'll organise these patrols before I head up" he replied distractedly, staring out of the frosted window and onto the Quidditch pitch.

The girl shrugged "Alright. See you later then. Goodnight!"

Tom bade her goodnight in return before settling into one of the chairs. It was still too early to sleep and he had finished all his school work. He also did not feel like going down to the Chamber, knowing that the girls bathroom may still be occupied at this time of night. Pulling out a quill and parchment, he began to draw up the prefects patrol, scheduling himself on the nights when he knew he wouldn't have anything else to do. Drawing back to look at his finished chart, he found that his patrol times were a lot more often than he was used to. Glancing at his watch, the dial read 12:01 – meaning that, Tom realised with a jolt, that he had already been 17 for a minute. Just as he was about to pack his things up, a small succession of knocks sounded at the door.

Suspicious, Tom grasped his wand tightly in his hand and approached the door. He swung it open, lowering his wand immediately when he saw who it was.

"Sarah? What are you doing up so late?" whispered Tom, ushering her inside the classroom before snapping the door shut. Sarah was standing there before him, grinning and wearing her most normal looking muggle clothing. Her hands were full, holding what looked like a meat pie with "Happy Birthday Tom!" in tomato sauce on the top.

Words appeared in front of them "You didn't honestly think I forgot did you?" swirled the words as she grinned at him "I made you a steak and mushroom pie instead of cake because I know how you don't like sweet things". She brandished the plate in front of him as though it weren't already obvious.

"You really didn't have to, especially at this time of night" said Tom, feeling heat in his cheeks despite his best efforts to remain coolly impassive. She just gave him a look that plainly read 'of course I do you dolt!' before setting down the plate and attacking him with a hug.

"Happy Birthday Tom!" swirled the words, flashing green with small sparks flying off the letters. Tom wrapped his arms lightly around her and gave a gentle squeeze before letting go. She smiled up at him again and dug a small, flat and rectangular parcel out of her coat and passed it Tom. Curious, Tom untied the gaudy gold ribbon and neatly sliced open the paper. Sliding the present out from the wrapping, Tom looked on in confusion as he took in the leather bound book. On the cover it read in gold italics 'Diary' and the inside was full of blank pages. While it was nice, Tom was confused as to why she thought he'll need a diary. He had never written in one before and he was fairly sure she knew that too. As if reading his mind, she flicked her wand once more.

"It's not a normal diary. I have one the exact same. It's spelled so that we can communicate privately. We can write to each other in it no matter where we are – even when we leave Hogwarts!"

Tom felt his lips pull up into a smile "Thank you. It's wonderful" he said, his quiet timbre echoing off the stone walls of the classroom. He really was grateful for the gift, he decided as she sat him down in a chair and neatly sliced some pie up for him. His followers had tried gaining his favour before, with expensive materialistic gifts that meant little to him. They presented him with presents out of fear of him and what he could do, not because they genuinely meant the sentiment behind it.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Sarah, her dark eyes bright in the dim classroom. She was chewing on a mouthful of pie, a smear of tomato sauce on the side of her lip.

Tom casually conjured a napkin and wiped the smear off, not noticing the blush on her cheeks "There's a Halloween Dance coming up" he said, spearing a sautéed mushroom with his silver fork "It was just decided in the Prefects meeting a few hours ago"

Sarah herself seemed to perk up, the gleam of excitement in her slightly rounded face "A costume party? What are you going to dress up as?"

Tom rolled his eyes "Who said I was going to dress up at all?"

She pouted childishly "I forbid you from wearing your school uniform to a costume party Thomas. I know the Head Boy look is frightening and all but it's a little overdone" wrote her words in the air. Tom knew exactly what she was talking about of course. For every festivity, including Halloween, Tom had always worn his slightly threadbare school uniform. Even on the weekends and Christmas holidays, Tom wore no muggle clothing – only his uniform. Sarah understood that he was proud of his school, but she and some other students were beginning to suspect that his uniform had a permanent sticking charm on it.

"Well, since you have forbade it, then I must wear a costume" replied Tom, his tone deeply sarcastic. Sarah punched him on the shoulder, relishing in the slight wince he tried to hide.

"Come on Tom, it's our last year!" whined her words, the letters drawn out in italics to convey her pleading tone "It will be fun!"

After much coaxing and empty threats, Tom eventually conceded to her demands. He supposed it wouldn't be too terrible considering he had to supervise the event anyway. He just hoped that Sarah didn't force him into some atrocious or embarrassing costume.

Meanwhile, Sarah was thinking of all the atrocious and embarrassing costumes she could convince Tom into. She ran the various ideas through her head, smirking inwardly at a few till the image of Tom in a milk maid costume cropped up. Coughing and spluttering, Sarah mopped up the pumpkin juice that she had spat out onto the table.

Tom gazed at her questioningly but decided it was probably safer to not ask what was going on in her head. More often than not, it was something Tom would have preferred not to know. Sarah was brutally honest most of the time, a trait that Tom admired because of his own inability to be truthful. He could only recall a handful of times when she had deceived him; telling him that she was too sick to attend Transfiguration in 5th year, eating his éclair and refusing to admit it, and even sneaking out to Hogsmeade when she had been banned one weekend. But all these things were trivial, thought Tom to himself, he couldn't imagine her as being nearly as cunning and ambitious as their Slytherin peers.

Their night time mini feast eventually ended when they both claimed they were too tired and full of food to continue on. Tom led her back to the dungeons where she quickly pecked him on the cheek goodnight and flashed him a smile before disappearing through the stone doorway. Tom stared at the seemingly blank wall for a few more moments slightly stunned before gathering his wits and use of his legs, making his way up to his dormitory to catch a few hours of sleep before class the next morning.

**AUTHORS NOTE:**

I know i've got too many excuses and not enough updates. This thing happens every time where i'll write several fics at once then inevitably forget about a few along the way - so sorry! I usually just jump between stories depending on my mood, which is a bad habit i suppose. Anyway, thank you so much for the people that have reviewed and i hope you continue to! :) Also, what do you think of the characterisation of various characters? Is Tom too nice? Sometimes my fangirl mind turns a fearsome young Voldemort into someone a lot nicer than who he is capable of being :P Anyway, let me know your thoughts!

LOVE!  
DecoyDream x


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